Teaser or not teaser ?

Didier Bur · 4 Jan 2008, 10:29

Hi all,
Here is my first contribution for 2008. Due to file size limitation, I had to split it into 4 flash movies that describes my next plugin.
It's a paintbrush-like tool that "sprays" components on the model. Useful to quickly populate landscapes, streets, and so on.
What do you think ?

Paintbrush1
Paintbrush2
Paintbrush3

Edson · 4 Jan 2008, 10:43

definitely a teaser. great idea, didier. it will be useful indeed.

Gaieus · 4 Jan 2008, 10:44

I cannot see them on my office computer. I can upload and embed them though; what is the size of them pixel wise, Didier?

Didier Bur · 4 Jan 2008, 10:44

Files number limit too !
Here is part 4.

Gaieus: about 710x650

Paintbrush4

AdamB · 4 Jan 2008, 10:56

chouette!

I've thought for some time this is the way forward to get high density content without superhuman efforts. Its something I proposed at EA some years back. But in some sense you might want to have this functionality bound to materials and not be an interactive thing. I envision ceiling materials that can spawn light fitting that satisfy minimum lighting requirements, floors that can spawn desks, chairs etc (all with clash detection/resolution) , pavements that generate street lamps spaced nicely etc etc etc. The trees you generate might be L-systems that are seeded by position so all trees are unique, the size of your files could be pretty small and only expanded/exploded on-demand as well.

Tons of neat possibilities and with Ruby - how hard can it be!

Go do it!

Gaieus · 4 Jan 2008, 12:06

Didier, this is just great, really!
I just keep watching these videos...

Tobobo · 4 Jan 2008, 12:14

This would be really useful when it come to forest planting!

Great Idea

Would they be a component like the sandbox meshes?

Can't Wait

ilay7k · 4 Jan 2008, 13:04

This one of your great tools!
Thanks...
remind me this http://www.thirdpartyplugins.com/stormtracer/ , sorry that i put some c4d's info... Sketchup and C4d are my favorite tools
also another greeble-tool too

Didier Bur · 4 Jan 2008, 13:19

@unknownuser said:

Would they be a component like the sandbox meshes?

Toby, what do you mean ?

tomsdesk · 4 Jan 2008, 15:57

What do I think?...:`)

Could have used this yesterday...and the day before...and many days before that!

Oboy, bring it on!!!

sketchy · 4 Jan 2008, 16:22

Very creative and useful. Well done! My clients were just saying yesterday that they wanted to see the model populated with trees.

Keep up the amazing work.

tomasz · 4 Jan 2008, 17:37

Combined with Kerkythea instancing.. proxy objects.. I was going to write such a tool but it is great Dider had same idea!
Thanks and looking forward
Tomasz

Pixero · 5 Jan 2008, 08:25

Looks lika a great script.

Is there a limit to how many components you can use. If so it would be good if you could use at least five.

Here are my thoughts for improvement:

Please add the possibility for random rotation and mirroring also. (I use a lot of flat "always face camera" trees and mirroring them help cover up that they look alike.)

It would also be great to be able to click where you want to "plant" a component and it would randomly choose one from the list and random scale/rotate/mirror it. (Some times you want a little more control over where trees goes.)

One more addition is to be able to have the components to follow the normal of the surface instead of their initial good for grass, stones and such.
And possibly a setting that controls how steep the angle could be for the trees to be planted.

And finally a question; Will it put all the components in a layer of their own?

Anyway, looking forward to try this.

Didier Bur · 5 Jan 2008, 11:45

Hi Pixero,

@unknownuser said:

Is there a limit to how many components you can use. If so it would be good if you could use at least five.

No, no limit (excepting the size of the dialog box) Would 6 be good ?

@unknownuser said:

Please add the possibility for random rotation and mirroring also.

Random rotation is done yet. Mirroring is also a good idea, unless I figure out how to do it by script...

@unknownuser said:

It would also be great to be able to click where you want to "plant" a component

Very good idea I'll add a "point" shape in the list to do that.

@unknownuser said:

One more addition is to be able to have the components to follow the normal of the surface

I had thought about this but didn't implemented it (yet). if you think it is useful, why not ?

@unknownuser said:

Will it put all the components in a layer of their own

It could.

Due to the number of settings growing, do you think I must add a "settings" dialog box that will be used if you tell the script to do so, and use defaults if not ?

What is already done is an option to allow or prevent component stacking.

regards,

kwistenbiebel · 5 Jan 2008, 14:03

Mighty cool feature !

This would be great for placing dummy components of trees around a plot and replace them with medium polysized trees just before rendering with your favorite render app...

And now if Google would make it possible to work with hi-poly files (multicore tech etc...you know), I'd be a happy man.

huyvuvn · 5 Jan 2008, 16:36

sorry all but .... can someone upload that ruby ? I've already seen the swf video and .... that's so good ! I like it !

Gaieus · 5 Jan 2008, 16:40

Huyvu it seems that Didier is still working on it (also collecting ideas for the development) and the plugin is not ready to be shared yet.

(I'm also very excited looking forward to it )

solo · 5 Jan 2008, 16:44

Awesome ruby in the making, who needs Google to give us the tools we have enough very skilled (geeks) coders/programmers here to take our favourite app further and better.

Gaieus · 5 Jan 2008, 16:48

Hehe... True, solo (though the core engine of SU could be improved a little to handle hi-poly models - especially if we have a tool like this )

rhankc · 5 Jan 2008, 18:43

Good Work Didier, and thanks for the show and tell. The possibilities are quite extensive.